rogue women's day pairing

usually i take photos of all the pairings at a rogue dinner
but alas, i only had my iphone with me and the lighting was atmospheric... so all you get are these two!

the lobster on cauliflower risotto

the diver scallop that melted in my mouth!

for more, see vancouverfoodster.com's review

best pairings:

r&b lychee white ale with sea bream crudo - this would be a great summer beer

the lychee was not too sweet and went well with the brine of the fish

cannery scotch ale with smoked lamb loin (or for me, salmon)

the smokiness of the scotch ale went really well with the smoked salmon

townsite powtow porter with chocolate porter cake

i didn't have the cake, but the malty porter paired very well with the mocha custard and glazed pecans

best beer:

crannog ales something hoppy - cascade hops and cardamom made for an amazing brew

other pairings:

big river rose hibiscus honey ale with contry ham (for me, tuna) and apple kimchi

tuna with rose did not pair so well

but the beer itself was quite nice and the tuna on pancake was to die for

gulf island heatherdale ale with honey glazed diver scallop

i wasn't wild about the beer

but the scallop, the scallop was incredible!  apple and yam puree was great with it

and didn't quite get where the heather and scallop would be going together...

crannog something hoppy with mushroom ravioli

as previously mentioned, the beer rocked!  the ravioli in broth, not so much

and not together

howe sound cascadian dark ale with massaman short rib (or for me, lobster)

the lobster was a little chewy, but very nice with the cauliflower risotto

i think the short rib probably paired well with a cda in ways that lobster just didn't

liked them both separately

nelson oatmeal stout with oatmeal stout cookie

yes, they paired extremely well, but the cookie was huge and quite dense

and frankly after 7 other pairings i was less than attentive to the beer

so i suck, sue me!

the event:

mingler was a misnomer for this event

it was great to see all the brewers in attendance, but see them is all we were able to do

somehow i pictured an 8 plate mingler as being a standing up affair where the brewers introduced their beers, a rep from the kitchen described where they were going with the pairing and after tasting the pairing the rest of us wandered about discussing it with each other

but instead we were seated at several long tables and pretty much stuck in our seats as the pairings were brought to us one after the other

did i enjoy myself?

oh yes!

am i glad i went?

oh yes!

it didn't turn out like i expected it to, but the food was yummy, the beers were fabulous and the company was lively

it was a great evening!